Process for obtaining metallic values from ores



W. A. SCHMIDT.

PROCESS FOR OBTAINING METALLIC VALUES FROM ORES. APPLICATION HLED FEB. 2, 1920.

1,868,9?3., Patented Feb. 15,1921.

IN V EN T 0R.-

ATTORNEY Ult lT eras WALTER AUGUST SCHMIDT, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR T0 INTER- NATIONAL EBECIPITATION COMPANY, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, A. COR- PQRATION 0F CORNIA.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 15, rear.

Drignialapplicatton filed April 29, 1918, Serial No. 231,459. Divided and this application filed February 2, 1920. Serial No. 355,818.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WALTER AUGUST SCHMIDT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented a new and useful Process for Qbtaining Metallic Values from Ores, of which the following is a specification. This invention relates to the separation of minerals by volatilization, and particularly to the recovery from ores of copper, or other metals, of the chlorids of such metals by a volatilizing operation; this application being a division of my appllcatlon Ser. No. 231,459, filed April 29th, 1918, for Process for obtaining chlorids of potassium, or other metals.

In the volatilization of copper, or other metals, from ores thereof, it is usualto heat the ore insuitably divided condition, together with sodium chlorid, or other chloridizing agent, in such manner as to cause the production of the chlorid of the desired metal, such chlorid being then volatilized and the metallicfume collected in any suitable manner.

The main object of the present invention is to so carry out a process of this kind as to minimize the amount of sodium chlorid, or chloridizing agent, used and to provide for maximum eific1ency of the volatilizing operation with such reduced amount of the chloridizing agent.

The accompanying drawing is a vertical section of a furnace suitable for carrying out the invention.

An important feature of the present Invention is that the sodium chlorid, or chloridizing agent, is added to the finely divided ore during successive stages of heating thereof, whereby a given amount of chloridizing agent produces an increased volatilization of the metallic chlorid desired, or for any given amount of volatilization a reduced amount of chloridizing agent may be used.

My process is applicable to the recovery of any metallic chlorids more volatile than sodium chlorid, for example, it may be applied to volatilization of copper as chlorid from copper ores, the said ore being heated in the presence of sodium chlorid, or of sodium chlorid vapor, so as to form cupric chlorid which voletilizes and sodium sulcopper ore being fed in at the top hearth 2 by feeding means 3 and the sodium chlorid being fed in at several of the intermediate hearths 4:, 5 and 6 by feeding means 7, 8 and 9. The sodium chlorid volatilized w1th the copper chlorid may be separated therefrom by solution and crystallization, or otherwise, and used in cyclic operation of the process. The volatilized chlorids are drawn from the upper part of the furnace to a suitable collecting means, either by the operation of natural draft, or by a suitable fan or blower.

The vapors resulting from heating the material with sodium chlorid in the manner above set forth, may be condensed by cooling in any suitable manner and the resulting. product collected in any suitable collecting apparatus, preferably an electrical precipitator. In this connection the fact that a considerable quantity of hydrochloric acid is in some cases formed in the fuming operation tends to facilitate the deposition of the product in an electrical percipitator.

Silver ores and lead ores, or complex ores of silver, copper and lead may also be treated by this process, the amount of sodium chlorid added and temperature of volatilizationbeing controlled in each case to produce the required volatilization. For silver chlorid volatilization a relatively high temperature will be required, and the furnace used must be such as to operate at such temperature. In such cases, a rotary kiln may be used. The chlorids volatilized from complex ores of silver, copper and lead may be condensed in stages by successive cooling operations, and the resulting condensed materialscollected or precipitated at each stage, so as to effect more or less separation of such metals. In any case, it is desirable to use more sodium chlorid than corresponds theoretically to the amount of copper, silver or lead, etc., as higher recoveries are thereby attained.

In some cases, other halids, for example, calcium chlorid, may be used instead of sodium chlorid, to increase the volatilization of potassium chlcrid, it being understood that in this case the calcium salts may remain mostly in the residue.

What I claim is:

1. The process of obtaining metallic chlorids from ores, which consists in subjecting the ore to heat and adding a metallic chlorid to the ore at successive stages of the heating operation While the ore is maintained at sufficiently high temperature to effect chloridizing of the metallic content of the ores and volatilization of the resulting chlorid.

2. The process of treating ores containing a metallic constituent in non-halid form to obtain a halid of such metal; which, consists in addingto such material-a halid of another metal, heating the material, then adding a further quantityuof ahalid of a metal other than the metal to be obtained as halids, and further heating the mixture to such temperature as to cause. conversion of the saidnoh-halid constituent to halid form, and 'vol-atilization' of-theresulting halid.

3. The process of obtaining metallic values from ores, which consists in subjecting the ore to heat and adding a metallic halid to the-ore at successive stages of the operation under such temperature conditions as to efi'ect conversion of the metallic content of the ore to halid form, and volatilization of the resultinghalid.

In testimony whereof I have. hereunto subscribed my name this 23rd day of January, 1920.

WALTER AUGUST SCHMIDT. 

